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Fidget Spinners: Are They Worth the High?

Man playing with fidget spinner stress relieving toy outdoors on city street

Welcome to “Is It Worth the High?”, where our writers see newly released movies, listen to the latest album drops, and try other experiences while high to determine whether they’re worth your time, money, and most importantly, your cannabis buzz. This week, Lisa Rough took on the latest craze to find out if fidget spinners are worth all the hype.

Product Enjoyed Pre-Fidgeting:

, a pleasantly creative sativa strain, smoked out of a water pipe

High Experienced (1-10 scale): Between 6 and 7 throughout the night

(alexsalcedo/iStock)

What’s the deal with fidget spinners? These fiddly gadgets are the latest hot fad on the market, even making an appearance in a hilarious SNL skit featuring an easily-distracted Vanessa Bayer playing with a diamond-encrusted imitation of the toy.

The popularity of these fidget toys may be much to the chagrin of middle school teachers everywhere, but don’t be fooled–these toys aren’t just for kids. Marketed as a tool to help cope with anxiety and ADHD, fidget spinners may actually have some therapeutic benefits. As someone who has dealt with anxiety and likes to keep her hands busy, I decided to put these nifty little tools to the test and see if they are, in fact, worth the high.

Fidget Spinner Initial Impressions

The first time I encountered the fidget spinner, I thought, as an avid consumer of cannabis, “Wow, this would be so cool if it lit up.” My next thought was, “Has no one thought of this? Am I sitting on a million-dollar idea?” We stopped at a nearby convenience store, and guess what they had? Light-up fidget spinners.

I bought three different fidget spinners for my experiment (including the light-up one I found at the convenience store), and although they were the inexpensive, standard fidget spinners, I was surprised by how many variations there are on the market. They range in design and price, including this $700 spinner, but such frivolities are for those with a whole lot of extra time and money to burn.

Overall Experience

I’m not usually a sativa gal, but my roommate recently introduced me to the magnificent Red-Headed Stranger, named for Willie Nelson and known for its joyful creative effects. It seemed like the perfect pairing for a fidget session, so we packed my EDIT Collection Silicone Bong to kick off an evening of stoned spinning.

I started off my experiment watching watched a soothing nature documentary on the Great Barrier Reef while playing with the fidget spinner for about an hour. It was fine, but since I wanted to really put the toy’s supposed “anxiety relief” benefits to the test, I cued up a stress-inducing episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. The show has an undercurrent of tension that’s tremendously palpable and I found myself thankful for the toy occupying my hands. During my binge-watching, I also discovered the soothing effect of making the device spin hard and waiting for it to rotate slower and slower until it finally stops.

After playing with three different fidget spinners, I noticed clear differences between the various models. The light-up toy was great during the initial high–it’s fun to watch, and when it spins sideways, it looks like a spaceship. However, it was mostly made out of plastic parts, and playing with it is significantly less satisfying than the hefty spin of a metal fidget spinner.

Unfortunately, the fidget spinners I’d procured were not the highest quality. One of them had metal pieces that easily slipped out of place, which presented a choking hazard if you’ve got little ones to worry about. It might be worth investing a little more money for a slightly higher-quality spinner if you’re looking for something that will last longer than a flash in the pan fad.

Later that evening, some friends dropped in and we took a break from the stress of the show to discuss more about fidget spinners and the possibility of making a water pipe out of one–putting a bowl piece in each of the fidget spinner’s arms and spinning it while lighting it. Ingenuity or inanity? Does it matter? Nah, but it’s fun to imagine.

Fidget spinners aren’t great for one-handed fidgeting if you’ve got tiny hands like me, but I did learn a new trick for spinning it with one hand (hold it with one thumb on top, pull your ring finger back and flick it forward)

I found the best way for me to relieve anxiety was to spin the toy and wait for it to stop spinning, which takes several minutes and can be quite soothing

Not all fidget spinners are alike–the light-up one is fun to watch, but not nearly as satisfying to spin as the heavier, more solid metal spinner

If you have more than one fidget spinner, it’s pretty fun to spin two or three at a time

Are They Worth the High?

Obviously! Fidget spinners were basically made for getting high. If you happen to deal with anxiety, they can also be a helpful tool (but keep in mind they’re not going to fix or diagnose any issues). My only advice is try out a few fidget spinners before investing in one–or you can be like me and buy a few. Enjoy a nice sativa and spin the day away, my friend!

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